


Prince & The Pauper

by ghostofcalum



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Commoner Bokuto Koutarou, Farmer Miya Atsumu, Idiots in Love, Just like in the barbie movie, M/M, Prince Akaashi Keiji, Prince Kita Shinsuke, Swapping places
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29525256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostofcalum/pseuds/ghostofcalum
Summary: Prince Kita Shinsuke and commoner Bokuto Koutarou meet randomly one day and decide to switch places, trading lives for a month. Only chaos can come from their decision.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Prince & The Pauper

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to this story that wouldn't leave me alone. I had this idea a while back and it just kept bugging me so I figured I would write it, along with everything else I've got going on.
> 
> If you've ever seen the barbie movie, "Princess and the Pauper," it's basically that with a different plot. Two people who look alike switch places and everyone around them has no idea until the dummies make it painfully obvious. 
> 
> I know Bokuto is taller than Kita but for the moment, they can be the same height, either Kita's height or Bokuto's, the choice is yours. This is set in older times so there is no hair gel, so Bokuto with flat hair it is! Plus since Kita is a prince he has no accent, but Atsumu def does.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this short little hectic story of atsukita and bokuaka falling in love.

* * *

Kita Shinsuke sits on his throne beside his parents, focusing on one of the adoring statues in the room. His parents are receiving foreign guests and he’s forced to attend. He isn’t king yet and won’t be for a few more years but still, his father thinks he needs to begin easing into the role.

Bored, he’s _so_ bored. He could be doing so many other things right now and he’s here, wearing stuffy clothes and sitting in a hard chair. The crown is digging into his hair and his boots are new so, therefore, too tight. Not to mention the fact that his mother, the queen, keeps glancing over at him to make sure he’s sitting correctly.

“Prince Shinsuke,” someone addresses, calling for his attention.

It’s one of the servants and he’s kneeling before Kita’s throne.

“Rise,” he orders them as politely as possible, sensing his father watching his actions from the corner of his eye.

“If this servant may deliver a message from Lord Ojiro’s son. The young lord is requesting your presence in the library,” the servant tells him, standing from his kneeling position but keeping his head respectfully bowed.

“May I?” Kita looks over at his father, trying to keep his body still as excitement at the prospect of having escape floods through him.

“Take your leave, my son,” the king decides, going back to listening to one of the men from a southern kingdom who’s made the long journey to deliver news on behalf of their king.

“Shinsuke.” The queen stops him, keeping her posture perfect as usual, as she watches him stand.

Kita turns back to look at her, trying to hide his annoyance. “Yes, mother?”

“Do not be gone too long, Prince Akaashi is arriving tonight and you must be here to receive him,” she reminds him.

“Yes, mother,” Kita responds, giving her a bow before he darts from the throne room.

He wants to so badly roll his eyes at his mother’s words. How could he ever forget about his betrothed who he’s known since childhood? As if his parents would ever let him forget any of his responsibilities. He knows people would kill to be in his position, the only heir to a massive kingdom who shall never long for anything he wishes for, but no one would ever take the loneliness and pressure into account that comes with it. His every move is watched, every moment scheduled by his father, and his future planned even before he came into the world.

Shinsuke longs for adventure, wants to see the world, and not have responsibilities weigh him down. He wants to see the countryside, leave the city limits, and not have to rise with the sun to see to his prince duties every day. He envies his friends, the sons of lords who even if they hold titles, can still come and go as they please into town or wherever they may please.

“Aran,” Shinsuke greets his friend, feeling his shoulders drop from being away from his parents. “You called for me?”

“My prince,” he says, teasing mostly, knowing how much it bothers Kita. “Your parents will be receiving guests all day according to my father.”

Kita reaches for his sword, giving his friend a playful expression at the mention of his title. “Yes, and what of it?”

“Suna and I are headed into town to go see the blacksmith,” Aran tells him and there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The blacksmith, Kuroo Tetsurou makes the best weapons. He holds no official title, so Kita has never had the chance to buy one of his weapons. How he yearns for the chance to buy a sword from the man who he’s heard is a master at the craft. Kita begins connecting the pieces of the puzzle Aran is setting down. If his parents are busy, along with the servants and staff preparing for Prince Akaashi’s arrival, then he’s free to join his friends in town. He knows that the next coming days will be busy, and this opportunity is not one he gets often. This might be one of the last rare moments of freedom he has before taking the throne.

“Join us?” Aran offers, knowing Kita is all but foaming at the mouth to get out of the castle.

“Yes,” Kita practically blurts out, face breaking out into a smile.

They have to find him clothes he can wear into town where he won’t be recognized, and it proves challenging. They can’t bring any attention to him so wearing any kind of royal clothing is out of the question.

Aran and Suna Rintarou find servant clothing. He can pass as one of their servants who’s coming along. It’s the perfect plan.

* * *

Bokuto Koutarou stretches his arms over his head, trying to get the strain out of his muscles that farming brings. He’s been outside harvesting the crops for hours now, since before the sun even rose. He wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Bok-kun!” His friend, Miya Atsumu calls over. “Don’t be getting lazy on me now. We still got half a yield to finish, ya know.”

“I’m not!” Bokuto calls out, offended Atsumu would even think such a thing in the first place.

Bokuto is the son of farmers so hard work is not new to him. He’s been working in the fields since he could walk. His family shares the patch of land with the Miya family, and he’s known their sons, Osamu and Atsumu since childhood. Osamu was gifted with culinary skills and through ambition of his own, has managed to set up a small bakery within the town.

“Are we still going into town later?” Atsumu asks him. “Kuroo’s been fixing my sword since last week. Should be ready by now if my calculations are correct.”

Bokuto laughs. “Speaking highly of yourself, considering how you can barely count as it is.”

Atsumu glares over at him, clearly offended but lets it go.

“We can go,” Bokuto agrees. “My sisters keep asking me to pick up a piece to help fix our gate so the animals won’t keep getting out.”

Bokuto’s life is not easy but hardship is something he knows well. His parents died a few years back during a hard winter, leaving him to raise and provide for two younger sisters. He’s doing his best but at times, wishes life hadn’t dealt him such hard cards. He loves his sisters and they’re his world and as the years have passed and they’ve gotten older, it’s been easier. Still, he wishes for a life where someone takes care of him. One day he’ll find someone and settle down but finding a partner hasn’t been easy, not when he comes with two teenage girls and a chaotic sense of humor.

* * *

Suna and Aran tell Kita to stay close by so he doesn’t get lost but it’s difficult. There is so much going on in the city and Kita gets distracted by it all. There are shops set up everywhere, along with street vendors, and performers. The area is vibrating with life and chaos, everything that’s missing from Kita’s life. He wants to go and try all the sweets, buy miscellaneous trinkets, and watch people sing and dance.

Kita is trying to weave through the crowd, not use to having to push through people. Usually, people will move out of the way for him, but he remembers that right now, he is not _Prince Shinsuke_ , he’s just Kita, a servant. It’s a little windy and he keeps the cloak over his head to keep the wind from messing up his hair. Suna and Aran went on ahead, making sure to point towards the blacksmith shop they’d be meeting up at, having given up on trying to reign Kita in. Not that Kita minds, he enjoyed looking over everything along the way and makes sure to keep the shop within view. Even if this is just for a moment, he wants to take it all in.

He’s almost to the blacksmith shop where his friends are waiting for him when he bumps into another person that almost sends him flying.

“ _Uh_!” The person groans, reaching out to grab Kita by the wrist to catch him. “Easy there, skinny. You have to watch where you’re going around these parts if not, people are going to knock you down before you even know what happened.”

It’s rare for someone to touch Kita so casually, not that he minds. Feeling like everyone else feels pretty good if he’s being honest. He hates attention and right now, he blends him with the crowd even to the point of being shoved apparently.

Kita looks up to thank the person and feels his eyes go wide. It’s almost like looking in the mirror. They share the same hair color, eyes, and height practically.

The man also looks surprised. He’s a lot tanner than Kita, looks more carefree, and happy.

“Your face!” The person exclaims, pointing at Kita. “You look just like me!”

“How do you know you don’t look like _me_?” Kita retorts.

The person takes a moment to consider this. “That’s a good point… What’s your name?” He asks. “My name is Bokuto if that rings a bell. Maybe we’re long-lost cousins? My parents never mentioned having any siblings but… you never know these days.”

“My name?” Kita nervously repeats, sensing as if he’s about to be discovered. “Um, my name is Kita.”

“Kita?” Bokuto thinks it over, mulling it over to see if it sounds familiar. “Only Kitas I’ve heard are the royal family and _no way_ you’re the prince or something like that,” he says with a laugh.

Kita looks like an animal caught in the sights of a hunter, cornered and outnumbered.

“Are you?” Bokuto asks, wide-eyed as if Kita just grew three heads. “Because… no… that wouldn’t make sense… Prince Shinsuke being out in the town, especially the poor part of the market.”

Kita feels himself grow a little upset at the accusation. “There’s nothing wrong with this part of the market, it’s not like I discriminate against anyone’s status!”

Bokuto grabs one of Kita’s wrists and begins weaving through the crowd, pushing and shoving just like everyone else. He stops when they get to the blacksmith shop and he takes them around towards the back.

“Prove it to me,” Bokuto demands.

Kita snatches his wrist back. “Prove what?”

Bokuto gestures towards him with his hand. “That you’re the so-called prince.”

“I can’t just prove that!” Kita scoffs. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Well,” Bokuto taunts with a smile. “Then, I just think you’re some crazy lunatic.”

They hear the front door to the blacksmith shop open and someone step out.

“Do you think he got lost?” Someone asks, a voice that Kita recognizes as Aran.

“ _Ugh_ ,” another person groans—Suna— before adding. “The one time we get to sneak him out and this happens.”

“Go look for him towards the pastry stalls, I think I saw him lingering there when I last saw him,” Aran instructs Suna, voice growing frantic.

“Stupid Shinsuke,” Suna says. “I’m totally going to kick his ass, royalty or not, he’s giving us a heart attack.”

Bokuto looks back over at Kita, eyes wide. He freezes, not knowing what to do next. “You’re not kidding… you’re really Shinsuke Kita.”

“Keep your voice down,” Kita begs, slipping the cloak back over his head. “I didn’t come out here to get murdered.”

“Should I bow?” Bokuto asks.

Kita shakes his head, waving his hands in front of him. “No, no, please do not bow.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever be in the presence of royalty,” Bokuto says, arching an eyebrow as he tries not to snicker. “But, if I’m being honest, I never expected the prince to be so… dainty and pale.”

“I am not dainty,” Kita bites back, putting his hands on his hips. “We’re practically the same height, you dummy.”

“You’re totally dainty,” Bokuto laughs. “You’ve probably never lifted a finger in your life.”

“I have,” Kita says with a frown. “Being royalty isn’t just sitting in the throne room all day.”

Bokuto rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Your throne room, of course. How could I ever forget?”

“Being a prince isn’t the glamourous life everyone paints it out to be.” Kita smashes Bokuto’s assumptions before anything else can come of them.

“Only everyone’s dream,” Bokuto retorts. “Imagine, never having to do any hard work in your life, just having people wait on you, hand and foot, and never knowing the stress of barely surviving.”

“At least you have the freedom to come and go as you please,” Kita states. “Anything is better than a golden cage. I would give anything to not have the responsibilities of being the future heir to the throne. I’m supposed to get married next winter, and I barely know the person.”

“Am I supposed to feel bad for you?” Bokuto retorts with a chuckle. “Your hardships don’t sound as hard as people I know.”

“Just because others suffer doesn’t mean I can’t be allowed to be sad about my future,” Kita tells him. “I would do anything to be in your place.”

Then, they both look at each other and take a moment to just stare, as if having the same idea come to mind.

“Let’s switch places,” they say at the same time.

“Just for a while,” Kita adds. It doesn’t sound bad, getting to experience someone else’s life, even if it’s only for a bit.

“Well, being a prince isn’t something I get the chance to experience every other day,” Bokuto says. “Let’s do it.”

“I’ll teach you what you need to know about living in the castle,” Kita reassures him, beginning to slip off his cloak and top to hand them over to Bokuto. He reaches over and begins ruffling Bokuto’s hair to match his own.

Bokuto hands him over his own top and bag that nearly takes Kita to the floor.

“This is so heavy,” Kita groans. “What’s in this?”

“It’s a part I needed to fix something at home. By the way, my little sisters will be there but they’re not much younger than you and me. You should be fine with them,” Bokuto informs him. “Hitoka, well we call her Yachi, is two years younger than me but Kiyoko is only about a year or so. Just don’t make it obvious you’re not me.”

Kita nods. “Well, I’m an only child so you only have to worry about my parents… and my fiancé. He’ll be arriving in a few hours but he’s very kind, just quiet. His name is Akaashi Keiji, from one of the northern kingdoms, if you’ve ever been.”

Bokuto nods, taking mental notes of everything Kita is saying. “I work with one of my neighbors, their family is old friends of my parents, so stick close to him. His name is Miya Atsumu, I actually came with him to the blacksmith shop. He’s got blond hair and he’s loud as shit, you’ll know him as soon as you hear him.”

“Alright, go find Suna and Aran. The one that’s standing over there.” Kita points at Suna, who’s trying to pretend to search for the prince near one of the stalls. “That’s Suna. The other one is Aran, stick with _him_ if anything comes to shove.”

After a few more minutes of trading information, they decide they’re ready to go.

“In a month’s time, we’ll meet here at the blacksmith’s shop,” Kita says, making sure he’s got everything he might need. He’s so glad he brought a pouch of money, more than enough to get by for a month.

“Okay,” Bokuto agrees. “Please, take care of my sisters. They probably take more care of me, but still, they’re my world.”

Kita nods. “I will.”

They part ways and Kita starts to walk over towards the blacksmith shop, until he’s near the door.

Suddenly, the door to the shop swings open, and a blond man steps out, carrying a sword in a holster. He’s putting away some coins when he glances up for a moment and almost scares the daylights out of Kita.

“ _Bok-kun!”_ The man yells, glaring over at Kita. “Where’d ya go? Can’t believe ya left me to deal with Kuroo on my own plus those two lords.”

It takes a second for Kita to get that _he’s_ Bok-kun, the blond man is talking to him. Kita freezes for a moment and suddenly, pushes through the anxiety. “Hi, sorry, I got lost.”

The man laughs at him. “Ya got shit for brains then.”

Kita frowns, because how rude, and he is not dumb. He almost bites back before he remembers that he is not Kita, he’s Bokuto and Bokuto is nice to everyone.

“Are ya alright?” The man asks, concern in his voice as he steps closer to Kita. “Yer lookin’ awfully pale.”

 _Is this the blond man Bokuto was referring to_? Kita thinks, not wanting to be wrong.

The Gods decide to help Kita at that moment when the blacksmith opens the door to his shop and looks over at them. “Atsumu, you shit!”

The blond man, Atsumu, suddenly grins like a Cheshire cat, knowing he’s been caught. “Ah, fuck, come on, let’s go before Kuroo catches me!”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and I shall see you soon for more. 
> 
> My [twitter](https://twitter.com/ghostofhinata) if you'd like to say hi!


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